whirlwind of wonder

(this is from the day before christmas, when the girls opened their presents from mema and grandpa dan...avery got a new tablet toy and sat on the couch for an hour playing with it. nola wanted in on the action, so she got her old computer and joined ;))

Christmas day:

not sure if nola was just overtired or excited, but she ended up waking up 5 or 6 times overnight. when zane's alarm went off at 5:30 to get up and make coffee and monkey bread, i just couldn't drag myself out of bed. i finally got up and joined him in the kitchen to get things ready before the girls got up.

presents from santa, dog not included :) the girls got up around 7 and we brought them downstairs (after nola snuck downstairs and scared me half to death) to see what santa brought. when avery saw her barbie car she said "how did he know?!" :) they were so excited about their stuff they didn't even notice the kitchen turned around. once they finally did, they were happy in an overwhelmed, i don't know what to make of this, kind of way. it was such a nice, slow morning. i honestly never thought it would be so calm and enjoyable.

the girls gave each other the presents they picked out by themselves and i caught a nice hug :)

they got to snuggle a bit with dada and read one of their new books. you can see nola's new "star soft blanket" that will hopefully replace the dingy, "white" blanket she loves and drags around everywhere. brown is a much safer and appropriate color to have in this house ;)

we went over to my parents house in the afternoon after we attempted naps. the girls didn't nap, but zane and cleo did :) we ate a yummy ham dinner and played around for a bit before we opened up some more presents. towards the end of the afternoon, nola came up to me with a pouty lip and said "open more presents?" it was hard to tell her that there were no more presents, but that she had plenty of new things to play with and hopefully avery would share her things as well. with fun and excitement comes some disappointment :(

it was such a wonderful day, spent with wonderful people (in person and through skype ;)). i'm already looking forward to next year to do it all over again :) happy holidays everyone!

twas the night before.

what an amazingly warm and wonderful holiday!

the night before christmas, zane went out to the grocery store to buy some butter and then off to panera for some soup and sandwiches for us all. while he was gone, the girls and i started making santa's cookies. we gave a new recipe (from a neighbor) a try and even though the consistency was a bit off, the cookies were delicious and santa got nice and full ;)

after a warm bath and getting into jammies we came back downstairs and got a plate ready. they decided 6 was a good number for the plate :)

nola didn't want to share much of her milk, so santa only got a tiny dixie cup of milk that avery carefully carried to the fireplace, followed by nola with the cookies. moments after this picture, nola dropped all the cookies on the floor and scurried to get them back on the plate.

this is the best picture out of a BUNCH i tried taking. one looks, the other one doesn't. one smiles, the other one closes their eyes. one day, i will have trained them for pictures :) but not this year. (side note! we made it through christmas without fevers! for the last 2 years avery's been to the dr on december 23rd with a fever. we broke the spell!)

after the girls were in bed (they were SO excited for santa, but did such a good job settling down after some stories and songs) we went to work putting together their big gift from santa and mema. actually, zane did most of the work on the kitchen, while i made us drinks and popcorn. we had christmas music playing and had a really nice time getting things ready for christmas morning.

(the only thing missing was watching "white christmas". we missed it when it was on tv and i couldn't find the dvd anywhere. hopefully i'll find a good sale somewhere and we'll have it for next year :))

it's almost here!

i swear, this year i feel almost more excited than the kids for christmas! even though i know they both "get" it and are looking forward to tomorrow, i know what they're getting and know how happy they're going to be--it's just exciting.

on thursday, the girls and zane took a batch of treats we made to our neighbors- choc chip and peanut butter chip banana muffins and chocolate peanut butter prezels-thank you pinterest! i think the girls had a good time and i think our neighbors were happy with an unexpected treat from us.

while they were out being little elves, i stayed home and started our italian feast. i don't know when or why we decided to start a tradition of a big italian dinner a few days before christmas, but we put it into action this year and it was delicious! nothing too special, spaghetti and meatballs (i'm in the market for an awesome meatball recipe), salad, homemade mozarella fritta (SO easy and SO delicious!!), homemade mousse (from a box, but still tasty) and wine (i finally figured out i don't like merlot!). it was another good "start" to the holidays :)

then yesterday, thanks to some string and imagination, the girls were occupied for the most part in the morning and i was able to catch up on dishes and laundry. i wanted to get as much done for cleaning so i wouldn't have to do much this weekend. happy to say that the house is clean and ready for chaos tomorrow morning! :)

pretty little giant

avery had her 4 year well check yesterday. she did really well during it. <--- THAT is the understatement of the century! she did so well, i was shocked, awed, stunned, honored, humbled, you name it. she was simply amazing.

see, the last time we went to the dr (and i don't even know if it was for her or nola), she cried. and cried. and didn't want anyone coming near her. she was skeptical of all the instruments (even the scale). but this time? sure, let me jump on the scale. of course i'll go out in the hall with the nurse to get my height measured. you want me to tell you the letters? got it. wait, with these funny goggles on? why not!

the doctor came in and, as always, does a wonderful job making sure the girls are included in the conversations and made comfortable. avery stood in the middle of the room, talking with the dr, not needing to lean against us for security, not even looking at us for reassurance until the dr said "well, i'm out of questions. avery, do you have any questions about your body or anything else?" and she looked back at us like "um, do i? i don't get it."

(i had one question. earlier in the day, avery and nola were playing in nola's room, hiding behind a big chair in the corner. i heard avery start crying, i raced in and couldn't tell what was wrong until her teeth started turning red. i grabbed her, took her into the bathroom and had her put her mouth on a wet towel (she wouldn't spit). at first i thought her bottom lip was split, but after a while i realized it was her gum above her front teeth. she's always had tissue (the frenulum?) running from her gum in between her front teeth, making a little gap. when we went to the dentist she said someday we'd have to have it clipped, but after yesterdays fall, we might not need to. the dr was pretty sure she tore the frenulum, but couldn't say for certain-avery's lip was pretty fat and still hurt to open her mouth and move her lips :( but! it would be nice to not have a dental procedure done anytime soon...)

after the dr checked avery out (40lbs-82nd %, 44 1/4 inches-97th+ %!) it was time for shots. zane and i each got a flu shot, the girls both got nasal flu mist and then avery got 3 shots. she sat on my lap and was the bravest little girl i'd ever seen.

first shot. nothing. a little giggle from her at what was happening and how she was taking it.

second shot. nothing. another giggle that she just got 2 shots!

switch positions on my lap for the other arm/3rd shot.

third shot. she tried SO so so hard to not lose it. the dr told her that the last one was the worst and it was okay to say it hurt. avery tried to say she was okay and ended up in tears :( the dr told her that she hadn't met any 4 year old that didn't cry on that last shot, and that most of them cried for all of them. we were all so proud of how well she took everything, she got 5 stickers and some high fives from the nurses on the way out.

i seriously don't think i've ever been so impressed and proud of our little girl. she continuously amazes me with her humor and kindness and brains, but there was something about how hard she tried to be a big girl at the drs (and not just tried, but succeeded) that brought tears to my eyes.

all i'm getting for christmas...

is two A-'s in my classes this semester!

relief? you bet. surprise? you bet.

happy holidays? the happiest.

**disclaimer: finally, with 4 semesters under my belt (6 classes, i'm halfway done!!), i know what to expect when classes end: i hit a wall. the stress and the constant thinking/going/planning/working is suddenly gone and i don't know what to do with myself. i remember when last fall semester ended i was in a funk and it took weeks (maybe more?) to get out of it, because i didn't really know what was wrong. this time? i allowed myself to wallow and sulk and be lazy as possible today (with 2 kids that are getting over colds, "lazy" might not be the right term). (i even got to go to target, by myself, this afternoon but i knew while i was there that i wasn't enjoying it and was in and out in 30 minutes. so... i've lined up things to do, make, create, be excited about, plan for, and i hope that's enough to get me back to semi-structured days.**

funny story:

*today, avery told me that instead of napping, she laid on her couch quietly and talked to her kitty cat that she sleeps with. and that they had to fight off the trolls with their claws and meowing. they she told me her cat's name is pythagoras. while i was trying to ask her how she knew that name, she reminded me it's on a leapfrog video she watches. ha!

sweet story:

*the other day we were talking about santa and avery says "mom, you know what else christmas is about? christmas is about giving." *love*

(at our neighbor's birthday party-avery is in the gray pants/blue shirt in the middle, surrounded by 5 and 6 year olds. she certainly doesn't look like the youngest one there! it was so fun to see her with a group of kids and following the leader's directions!)

*if something doesnt work (light, toy, car, etc), nola assumes it's because the batteries don't work and i need to change them. today we were painting with glitter glue and one of the tubes was clogged. "mama, you fix this? you get batteries out and fix this? you get more batteries?" :)

i need to do a better job about writing down some of the stuff nola comes up with. it's usually so out of the blue and so quick that i don't have time to take it all in, but there have been some good ones lately :)

(i feel like all of a sudden, she's SO old. where's my baby? :( )

this weekend brought to you by pinterest.

thanks to pinterest (and the ALMOST DONE semester--last class tonight!) i made 2 recipes this weekend. one was AWESOME and the other was PRETTY GOOD :)

awesome: chile con queso. aka, the best dipping cheese stuff ever that we love from one particular mexican place. but now, we make our own!

if you're interested: (you can also go HERE for more recipes)

Queso Blanco Dip (White Cheese Dip), The Second and Final Attempt

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Yield: 30 fluid ounces

• 1 1/4 lb block White American Cheese (Land O'Lakes brand preferred, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1/4 cup diced green chiles
• 2 pickled jalapenos, chopped
• 1 ounce pickled jalapeno juice
• 2/3 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup cold water
• pinch of cumin (optional)

Toss all ingredients into a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 5 minutes, stopping to stir after every minute. The mixture might seem watery during the first few stirs, but should come together as a nice runny dip after all the cheese is melted.

Serve immediately as a dip with tortilla chips or as a sauce over your favorite Mexican dish.

*Recipe Note: White American cheese is found at most deli counters in your local grocery store.

you might be thinking "american cheese? really?" i thought the same thing. so did zane. but we tried it anyway and it rocked. we did have tostitoes with it though, and it was a bit too salty.

_____________________________________________________

pretty good: chocolate coconut bars (i only say "pretty good" because someone said they would taste like the "samoa" girl scout cookies. and they didn't. maybe i did something wrong? who knows, but they were strangely addicting)

the recipe: (can also be found here if you want to print it out--i will say, they tasted much better fully cooled and "set")

Ingredients

• 3 cups finely ground cookies (12 ounces), such as graham crackers or chocolate wafers, or a combination
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup pecan pieces
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips or chunks
• 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
• 1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly splash a 15-by-10-inch rimmed baking sheet evenly with water, then line with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, stir together cookie crumbs, sugar, and butter until combined. Evenly press onto bottom and up sides of prepared baking sheet. Bake, rotating halfway through, until firm, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; cool, about 20 minutes.
3. Sprinkle cooled crust evenly with pecans and chocolate. Pour condensed milk over the top, spreading to cover completely (do not let it drip over the edges). Sprinkle with coconut.
4. Bake until coconut is toasted, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool completely. Trim edges, if desired, and cut into equal-size bars.

ho, ho, ho!

*sigh*

I just handed in (well, emailed) my last assignment. and true to form, i didn't give it a once over, and now i'm paranoid i left in some random note to myself. (i talked to a friend the other day who wrote a paper in grad school and the spell check turned the word "Verizon" in to "venison" (she was in communications, "verizon" was used a lot) and she didn't proof-read it...funny now, probably not funny when she got a crappy grade!)

anyway, now with all my free time (!) i'm hoping to catch up on the blog.

the girls during bathtime last night. i took so many pictures of bathtimes when they were little, but now that they're so much more fun and actually doing stuff...and they got new toys for avery's birthday, so...

goobers :)

*i saw (through fb) that amazon was having a sale on a home laminator. i started envisioning all the girls' crafts i can protect, and the worksheets i can laminate and use dry erase markers on and all the photos i can laminate. so i bought it (merry christmas!) and i'm so excited. (i'm also a huge nerd)

*i need to start figuring out christmas/new years cards.

*we are getting our miles out of "santa" this year. "girls, place nice, santa's watching!" or "santa is so proud when he sees you sharing like that."

*then the other day i told the girls we were going to make santa these amazing sugar cookies that avery got for her birthday and nola said "aw, he be SO happy!" and i melted a little, cause she's starting to recognize how are actions affect others :)

*avery told me today, "hey! do you know what an upside down 'p' looks like? a 'b'!" she just soaks up every single piece of information, regardless of whether we're actively teaching her or not. it's awesome and humbling. she also cut out a square (seriously, a perfect square) out of plaid scrapbook paper and when i asked her how she did it she said "mom, i just followed the lines on the paper." obviously...

*a few weeks ago avery repeated a VERY inappropriate word (i can't remember if i blogged it or not) and since zane and i have been extra cautious about our language and have done well to not let anything slip. until the other night. cleo hopped up on the counter during dinner and started to eat something. i grabbed her and put her in the basement, while i said "cleo, get away from the damn food."

nola chimes in: "no kee-lo, go outside. no eat damn food."

sigh, we're doing the best we can :)

so close!

so the 2 final projects i have due tomorrow are just about done. the only reason i'm not handing them in just yet is because i hope maybe i'll get a second wind and the energy to look them over/make any changes/make them better before tomorrow. one thing i've learned this semester is my extreme "done-ness" when it comes to handing something in. i don't want to look at it, proofread it or anything else. cause then i might have to work on it some more, and honestly, when i'm done i'm done. so! we'll see how this plan plays out.

couple of random pictures from my phone.

the girls are obsessed with umbrellas. the few times it rained this week were perfect for letting them get their hands on them safely.

a crop of peas in december. definitely not the norm in the northeast. but we'll take it :)

new park that zane has been taking the girls to recently. it's at the elementary school that they'll go to (in a couple years! waaah!) and they love it. it's nice and squishy, a little challenging for them, and new. new is key.

both girls are sick/semi-sick. nola can barely breathe out of her nose and has a crummy cough, and avery is just on the brink of getting the same thing. she woke up last night around 1 and was upset that she couldn't get the boogers out of her nose. lovely. she had a breakdown and things got a bit rough. then nola woke up just before 5am coughing and sniffling. long night, early morning, but luckily they're both in good moods today. i'm hoping we avoid the december 23rd fever around here!

tis the season

our tree has been up for a week but we just got around to putting up ornaments tonight. and by "we" i mean "me" :) though, the girls did tell me exactly where to put each ornament! zane was working late and the girls got to show him all their hard work when he walked in...

thanks to pinterest, i did a fun craft with the girls this morning :) (when i'm done with school in a few days, i have an entire list of crafts, etc that i want to do thanks to pinterest. i'm addicted.)

i printed out the face of santa with numbers for his beard. you put a cotton ball on his beard every day until christmas when he shows up :)

he'll be nice and toasty with his full beard for christmas eve ;)

the girls had so much fun and it was nice to relax and be in the moment and not stressed out about school work, etc. (though i do still have 2 final projects due on friday and class next week, but the end is really in sight now and it's just a matter of getting things done when i can. can't WAIT for this semester to be over.)

we had a great day

(name that tune! parents of toddlers/preschoolers might know it ;))

we were on the go for about 99% of the day, so there's not much energy for a post. but i did want to say that we had an incredible day celebrating avery's 4th birthday! family and friends helped us celebrate our little girl and we're overwhelmed with gratitude and love. thanks to all! more to come tomorrow...